Little Empty Boxes is a documentary film currently being shown in a few select theaters across the United States. It’s an incredibly moving film that follows filmmaker and NY Times bestseller Max Lugavere as he comes back home to New York City and consults with top health experts about the origins of dementia, a neurodegenerative disease.
This is a very personal journey for him because his mother Kathy fought against it, too. The documentary shows her story battling dementia as well as what Max does in order to try saving her life.
Who is Max Lugavere?
From 2005 to 2011, Max Lugavere was a television presenter on the cable network show Max and Jason: Still Up with Jason Silva.In 2013, Max created Acting Disruptive, which was the first-ever television series for Tribeca Entertainment. The digital series explored famous actors’ lives who chose to dedicate themselves towards causes and passions that shook up the status quo. The episodes feature actors such as Jared Leto, Felicity Huffman and Adam Goldberg — but behind-the-scenes of creating this series, he was dealing with something personal that eventually led him down his own path.
It was during the summer of 2011 when everything changed for him while on vacation with his family. He recalls sitting on the beach next to his mother and noticing she couldn’t remember what year it was; at that moment he knew nothing would ever be same again. She had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), which is one of the most common types of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.
After finding out about this rare form of LBD that she had been living with for years without knowing what it really entailed or why she got sick so young (at age 58), he went searching for answers about its origins and possible treatments.
“Once a strong and independent woman, Kathy Lugavere finds herself struggling with her memory. In a quest to find his mother the best care, Max Lugavere moves home to New York City and begins to consult with top health experts to investigate the origins of Dementia, a disease which now affects a staggering 55 million people globally.
The deeply personal film chronicles Kathy’s experience with Dementia as Max explores methods outside of prescription medication to slow her illness down. LITTLE EMPTY BOXES presents a raw perspective of Kathy’s journey and the hardships of being a caretaker as her son is willing to do anything to save his mother.”
that pain bloomed a purpose. I had to do my best to understand this condition, not just for her, but for everyone facing the abyss of cognitive decline.
My film isn’t about medical pronouncements or miracle cures. It’s raw, messy, and deeply personal. It’s a plea for empathy, a tribute to my mom, and a love letter to the science of dementia prevention.
It is my hope that by sharing my mom’s story, we can illuminate the path not just to delaying, slowing, or even, possibly, preventing this condition, but to cherishing every fragile memory, every laugh, every “I love you” before the boxes become truly empty.
This film isn’t about endings; it’s about making the most of what remains together.” (source)
What did Max Lugaveres do?
When she died in 2018 at age 58 after battling Lewy Body Dementia for years without knowing why or how she got sick so young — he dedicated himself towards understanding why his mother developed such an aggressive form of this disease at such an early age and began working on Little Empty Boxes
He discovered that Alzheimer’s is the most popular kind of dementia only to realize that it could be prevented. One of them was diet related. He discovered that certain foods can enhance brain health thus preventing Alzheimer’s along the way.
What is Max Lugavere up to now?
According to his biography, he hosts one of the leading US health and wellness podcasts, The Genius Life podcast as well as contributes for The Rachael Ray Show, The Today Show, PBS’s Brief but Spectacular and The Doctors.
Around the globe, Max also gives keynote talks and corporate seminars on various relevant health and wellness topics.
Support
If you have a family member with dementia or think you may have this condition yourself, finding help is important. You can find more information at Alzheimers.gov.
In case you are concerned about dementia prevention tips, there are other materials online such as our website where they can be found.
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